Trouble Shooting a failing connection

Don't forget to check our Technical Support Forum for additional information.

When a customer reports a problem we follow a simple rule, if two or more customers are having the same problem then it is likely the problem is on our side, and we begin an investigation to discover and solve that problem. If we have thousands of customers connected and working and only one customer reports a problem then the problem is likely to be on that customer's side such as a failed line or modem, and we aid in the discovery and correction of that problem.

Modem Related Problems - this is a big one. Often customers will go to their local discount store and buy the least expensive modem and knowing nothing about installing a modem will open their case and insert their new modem and then call us when it does not work. There are a lot of issues related to proper modem installation such as IRQs and I/O Addresses and if one does not understand these issues then what seems like a simple upgrade can turn into a very costly and frustrating task. Most computer shops including our own will install your new modem for about $20 to $25 which is a real bargain.  

Today's new plug and play modems do install more correctly but there can still be conflict issues and BIOS issues.  

A second very common problem is damage for surges or lightning.  Customers often buy surge protection for the power connector on their computers but leave the modem line unprotected and plugged into their phone service. Most damage from surges that we see are due to lightning strikes that come into the computer by the phone line. We recommend the purchase of a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) that has phone line protections built into it. You can buy these at most discount stores for around $150 (We also sell them for $129.95.) and they give you the most protection possible. Most UPS systems come with an insurance policy that if your computer is damaged by a surge while connected they will pay up to $25,000 to repair or replace it.

A modem that has been damaged by a surge will often report no dial tone or fail to initialize. It might work when you go to bed and fail the next morning when you attempt to use it.  

Unable to Dial

This indicates either an incorrectly install phone modem, a failed modem, or a phone line problem.
1. Most modems have a second plug that allows the installation of a phone. Plug a know good working phone into the modem while the modem is connected to your line and see if you hear dial tone and if so if you can call. If not then disconnect the line from your modem and connect it directly to the phone. If this fails then you have a phone line problem.

2. If the line is good, use terminal or Hyperterm to dial into our service. If it fails then you have a modem problem, if it works, then you mostly have a problem with how your Internet dialer software is configured. Check it and make certain the country code is not checked. The country code should only be check in your Internet dialer if you must dial 1-501- to dial into our service.

Windows 95/98 - Go to My Computer and double click. Locate the Dialup Networking Icon and double click. Go to the Icon for dialing our service and move your mouse pointer on top of it and us the right mouse button and click one time. This will bring up a menu. Select Properties from that menu and examine the Country Code. If it has a check, click on the check with your mouse to remove it. Click on OK.

Unable to authenticate with Username and Password

All Usernames and Passwords must be entered in upper case. Lower case or mixed case will cause your login to be rejected.

If you are using Windows 95 make certain the only protocol in use is TCP/IP. Do this by opening My Computer, open the Dialup Networking Icon, selection the Icon for our service and move your mouse pointer on top of it and click one time with your right mouse button. Select Properties from the Menu. Select Server Type and examine the Allowed Network Protocols. If IPX/SPX and NetBEUI are checked remove the checks by clicking on them. Leave the check on TCP/IP. Click on OK.

Connects but unable to Surf the Web

This failure can be caused by many things. The most common reason is DNS failure or incorrect IP Address.

Windows 95 - Go to My Computer and double click, go to Dialup Networking and double click, go to the Icon that dials our service and move your mouse pointer on top of this Icon and right click. Select Properties from the Menu and Select Server Type. Go to the Allowed Network Protocols and select the TCP/IP Settings button.

Make certain the Server Assigned IP Address is selected and has a bullet in it's selected. If not move your mouse to that bullet and click.

Service disconnects often

This is almost always a modem or line problem. Most users who experience this problem are owners of USR Sportsters modems. Sportsters seem to work very well when connecting to other Sportsters but we see disconnect failures often when connected to other brands. Over 70% of all modems in use use a Rockwell or Lucent Chipset so we use Shiva Rockwell Digital Modems on our Premium Service and USR Courier and Motorola modems on our Basic Service. This gives us the most reliable service with the broadest number of modems manufactured under many different brand names.

Windows 95/98 - try different Baud rates by going to the Start Menu and select Control Panel. Locate the Modem Icon and double click to open. Select your modem then click on Properties. The Speed normal should be set as high as possible. 115,200 for 28,800 and 33,600 modems and 57,600 for 14,400 modems. If yours is set lower first try correct your disconnect problem by setting your speed to the highest recommended for your modem. DO NOT SELECT Connect only at his Speed. If that does not correct the problem then return to this area and reduce your speed then reconnect to test. Repeat this procedure until you find a speed that your modem will maintain.

Windows 3.1 - Go to your Program Manager and locate the Explorer Group. Select the Icon for our service and open it by double clicking. Select the Properties Button and click on it. Locate the Modem Tab at the top of this dialog box and click on it. Set the speed for the highest recommended for your modem. Dial in and connect and see if that corrects the disconnect problem. If not return to the Modem box and lower the speed and reconnect. Do this until you find a speed that will allow you to maintain a connection.

Phone Lines - any noise on a phone line will cause a modem to slow and repeat transmissions. If the noise becomes too much the modem will disconnect. For a small fee Southwestern Bell will "Condition" your line which does help prevent disconnects.

Problems related to Users of OS/2

OS/2 Users - The OS/2 Internet Software must be configured to allow our server to assign your IP Address, Destination Address, and DNS. Enter 0.0.0.0 for each of these IP Addresses. This will allow our server to assign the correct numbers.